Hurricanes are meteorological phenomena capable of causing a lot of damage and loss. Thus, it is important to forecast when they will form and where to be able to take the necessary precautionary measures and thus avoid causing damage.
To this end, NASA has launched eight microsatellites that will measure the wind deep within the eye of these phenomena.
The microsatellites have GPS navigation receivers that will be used to measure the surface of the oceans, which allow scientists to calculate wind speed and hurricane intensity from within the eye or center of the hurricane, unlike the weather monitoring satellites that are already in orbit. With a weight of 29kg and a wingspan of 1,5 meters, they were launched from a plane that took off after dawn yesterday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The pilot pressed a button and released the Pegasus rocket and the microsatellites attached to it, 11.890 meters above the Atlantic and 160km east of Daytona Beach. Pegasus ignited five seconds later, propelling the microsatellites into an orbit of more than 480km altitude. Everything went very well, so much so that scientists couldn't help but celebrate. Tim Dunn, NASA's launch director, said, “It looked beautiful. We are very excited".
Image - NASA
Lead researcher Christopher Ruf of the University of Michigan said the microsatellites will go through a few months of testing and should produce a wealth of scientific data for both NASA and the National Weather Service. They hope to have the microsatellites operating before the hurricane season begins, on 1st June.
The Global Cyclone Navigation Satellite System had a cost of $ 157 million. Scientists are confident that microsatellites will be able to better forecast hurricanes, which could save lives.
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